1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to nitride semiconductor devices including P-type electrodes and methods of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Background Art
In conventional nitride semiconductor devices, a P-type electrode is formed with palladium (Pd) as a P-type electrode material, as discussed in Journal of Applied Physics, Volume 95, Number 10, pp. 5917-5919.
When a laser diode is formed for example and P-type contact resistance is not sufficiently low in nitride semiconductor devices of conventional techniques, however, characteristic variations occur due to an increase in operating voltage for operating the laser diode and the generation of heat during the operation. This makes it difficult to obtain stable operation output in a prescribed temperature range. Therefore, it has been desired to further reduce contact resistance between a P-type contact layer and a P-type electrode.